May 31, 2018 Borys Wrzesnewskyj Member of Parliament Centre House of Commons , ON K1A 0A5

Dear Mr. Wrzesnewskyj, We are writing to you as members of the Women, Peace and Security Network-Canada (WPSN-C) and other interested organizations and individuals. In the last year, we have applauded Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy and the updated National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. We are heartened by the increased commitments to women’s rights and feminist goals in Canada’s foreign and development policies. While we have welcomed some advances, we are hopeful that greater investments and improved policy consistence will follow on these policy announcements. Members of the WPSN-C have called for a high-level champion to lead and ensure the implementation of these important policy commitments. In this spirit we welcome Motion 163. We believe that – with the appropriate terms of reference, backed by resources - a Women, Peace and Security Ambassador could play a critical role in ensuring policy commitments are translated into actual outcomes. In particular we recommend that the actual terms of reference or mandate of the Ambassador be jointly established in consultation with civil society organizations with a history of working on women, peace and security issues. We strongly urge that the focus of the Ambassador be on ensuring the development and implementation of Canadian policy and programming is consistent with the feminist ambition of the National Action Plan. We urge that at least 80% of their time be spent on leading and assessing Canadian actions. We would be extremely disappointed if the primary focus of the Ambassador was global and sharing Canadian experiences internationally. We have much to do internally before we urge others to take action. We urge the House to pass Motion 163 and look forward to working with you on the design of the priorities of this position moving forward in order to ensure that it is the most effective possible.

Respectfully, Amnesty International Canada Jenny Becker - GBV Prevention and Response Programming Consultant Georgina Bencsik Jodie Boyle Thora Broughton Canadian Federation of University Women CARE Canada Carole Doucet, Gender/Women, Peace and Security Expert Zoe Dugal, Deputy Director Field Operations, CANADEM Federation of Medical Women of Canada Dr. Kate Frieson, Associate Faculty, MA Program Human Security and Peacebuilding Justice Studies Program, School of Humanitarian Studies, Royal Roads University GRAN Rehana Hashmi, Sisters Trust International Women’s Rights Project Inter Pares Rasha Jarhum, Director, Peace Track Initiative KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiative Mines Action Canada Nobel Women’s Initiative Christine Ouellette, WPSN-C member* Oxfam Canada Dr. Jane L. Parpart, Adjunct Professor, and Carleton University Jo Rodrigues, Gender Consultant, Coach & Trainer Kristine St-Pierre, WPSN-C Steering Committee Member* Patti Talbot, Team Leader, Global Partnerships, The United Church of Canada/L’Église Unie du Canada Sarah Tuckey, Steering Committee Member, WPSN-C* & PhD Candidate, University of Ottawa Pauline Tweedie, Senior Gender Technical Adviser World Federalist Movement - Canada Beth Woroniuk, Coordinator, WPSN-C*

Communication can be directed to: [email protected]

* WPSN-C affiliation noted just for information. Almost all signatories are WPSN-C members